This year in review: part two.

Here comes the second part of my favorite recipes from this year.
I am trying to balance the sweet and the savory, the veggies and the meat.

1) Whole wheat bread from the bread machine: I make this bread weekly, it is by far the best all whole wheat bread recipe I have found. It makes divine toast !!

2) Quinoa Tabouli: This salad was one of those experiments that worked. Look in the fridge, see what's there, try to make it all go together ;-)

3) Slow Roasted Country Style Pork Ribs: I made this dish twice for dinner guests, always a very big hit. They cook for four hours but are simple to make and so very tender !

4) The Best Chocolate Ice Cream: No lie, truly the creamiest, richest chocolate ice cream I have ever eaten.

5) Winter Squash Biscuits: We made small versions of these and added cheddar cheese to the recipe for appetizers at a party, what a hit !! The photo doesn't do them justice.

6) Pecan Pie Bar: Whoa, these gooey sweet bars were so good, just the right balance of filling and crust. They made great gifts as well.

So there you have it, some highlights from 2012. Which were your favorites ??

I already have some great ideas to start the new year !!

This year in review: part one.

Hoping you all are having a great holiday season.
Less than a week ago I made my last batch of almond toffee.
Christmas Eve and Christmas day saw us dining in and out with various family members.
Today we bid our daughter farewell as she drove back to her current place of employment.
Soon we will be spending New Years Eve with family on the central California coast.
Busy, busy, busy, which is why I have not posted much lately.

This is a good time to look back over the past year of foodiness and post my favorite recipes from each month. So it it not too overwhelming for me or you, I am doing it in two parts.

Here are my favorites from last January through June.

1) Laurie's Chili: such a great winter/ ski season dish. So easy to make and easy to make meaty or vegan depending on your proclivities. Serve it with my cornbread or millet muffins and a green salad !!

2) Green Soup: I make this more than any other recipe from 2012. Green soup has become a weekly part of our food intake. I do love it with parsnips for that creamy texture.

3) Brussel Sprouts, my way: I made these tiny cabbages as a side dish this Christmas Eve.  My 9 year old great-niece adored them, asked for seconds and thirds !! Just goes to show you, anything if prepared well can be a hit !!

4) Sundried Tomato Pate in Collard Leaves: These little bundles sound so strange but are so amazingly tasty !!

5) Zucchini Bites: what a great way to use summer squash and what a delicious appetizer !! You could make these same bites with grated carrots for a winter treat.

6) Summer Fruit Tart: This dessert got such rave reviews wherever it went. To winterize it use kiwis, Fuyu persimmons, oranges and pomegranate seeds, yum.

Salted Pecan Pie Bars

I made a pecan pie this Thanksgiving that was pretty darn good, I have been too busy to post it and it still needed some tweaking.

Then I had a craving for pecan pie bars...off to search recipes online. I finally found one that was simple to make and to modify. Her photos are more beautiful but I only had to make my version once to be totally satisfied ;-)

My expert cookie maker brother agreed with me when he sampled the one I managed to save for him. These bars have the perfect balance of crust to filling, better even than a pecan pie in my estimation. And the coarse salt on top is a nice touch.

Make these and give them to your friends and family as holiday gifts, it will make them very happy !
Add a bag of pecans, some agave, the recipe and they will ecstatic ;-)

Salted Pecan Pie Bars

Alert : These cookies need to cool completely before you cut them. At least four or five hours in a cool house, longer if it is warm inside or refrigerate them overnight. 
They need time to set the filling.

Ingredients

Crust

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 cups flour 

Filling

• 2 large eggs
• ¾ cup agave sweetener
• ¾ cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups pecans

1) Preheat the oven to 375 F.
2) In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar.

3)Add the flour and beat until coarse crumbs form. If the mixture is too soft, add a little more flour. It should be crumbly but stick together when pressed.

4) Press the crust into a 9×13 baking dish.

5) Bake for 14-15 minutes or until top appears dry and slightly puffed.

6)For the filling, whisk the two eggs, agave, brown sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla. 

7) Stir in the pecans and pour the mixture over the crust. The filling should not be more than just a light layer of sauce over the crust. 

8) Arrange any stray pecans and return to the oven for 18-20 minutes. Remove from oven when the filling appears mostly set. 

9) Sprinkle with coarse sea salt.

10) Now comes the hardest part, they must cool for four to five hours or longer before you can cut them and eat them, otherwise they will not be set enough. They are worth the wait !!

Three more spice mixes...

Here are three more mixes that I made and bottled for gifts this year.

Moroccan Spice

A friend sent me a mixture like this last year. I loved using it in place of curry powder in soups, stews or stir fries. Pair this with some couscous and a tagine recipe.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons ground cumin
• 3 tablespoons ground ginger
• 1 tablespoons salt
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 2 tablespoons turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice or mace

Jerk Spice

A few years ago Genna got into making jerked chicken, inspired by a trip to the Caribbean. I made her a jerk spice mix for her birthday that year. You mix it with oil and rub it on whatever meat you are cooking !!

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons dried minced onion 
• 5 teaspoons dried thyme 
• 4 teaspoons ground allspice 
• 4 teaspoons ground black pepper 

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper 
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 1 teaspoon each smoked paprika and regular paprika

Ranch Dressing Mix

One year someone gave me a dry Ranch Dressing mix from a fancy spice store. You moisten a tablespoon of the mix with water, let sit for 5 minutes then mix with 1/2 cup mayonnaise and a 1/2 cup buttermilk or plain yogurt. It made the best salad dressing, I am guessing that adding it to sour cream would make a great dip too. Here is my attempt at reproducing that mix :-)

Ingredients

1/2 cup dried parsley

2 tsp dried thyme

4 tsp garlic powder

4 tsp onion flakes

2 tsp dried basil

2 tsp pepper

2 tablespoon Kosher salt.

I did put this mixture in the spice grinder for a few pulses to mix and make it smoother.

Curry Spice, another gift idea

As promised I am posting the other spice mixes I made as gifts this season. 
One of my favorites is this curry spice made from whole seeds. 
You can pair it with some fancy rice or lentils, your favorite curry recipe or some homemade chutney.

You can easily double or triple this recipe. 

Most natural food grocery stores like Whole Foods have a bulk section for herbs and spices, that the best place to get the raw ingredients.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons whole cumin seeds, toasted
• 2 tablespoons whole cardamom seeds, toasted
• 2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds, toasted
• 1/4 cup ground turmeric
• 1 tablespoon dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon cayenne

1) Place the whole seeds in a cast iron or other heavy bottom pan, one that will allow the seeds to be in a thin layer.

2) Toast the seeds over medium low heat, shaking the pan often until they turn color and smell good, 10 to 12 minutes.

3) Allow the seeds to cool.

4) Using a small coffee grinder or mini food processor, grind the seeds into a fine powder.

5) In a bowl add the ground seeds to the turmeric, dry mustard and cayenne, mix well.

6) Make cute labels and bottle. 

If you don't want to bother with the whole seeds, here another recipe that uses all ground spices.

 Curry Powder Blend

Ingredients

4 parts ground coriander

2 parts turmeric

2 parts yellow mustard powder

1 parts cayenne powder

1 parts ground cumin

1/2 parts ground cardamom

Still to come: Jerk Spice and Ranch Dressing Mix

Holiday gift ideas...

Homemade gifts are the best in so many ways. While they may take a little extra time, they are certainly less stressful than spending time in a shopping mall !! And if you don't have the time or inspiration to make your own gifts you can support local businesses during the holiday season. I mentioned to a friend that I was buying some charcuterie from our local butcher for some of the folks on my list. She thought that was a great idea :-)

This year I decided to experiment with different spice mixes: curry powder, chili spice, jerk spice, ranch dressing, moroccan spice and pie spices.

They are all blends of a number of herbs and spices. I would recommend going to a natural food grocery store, food coop or herb store to get the raw ingredients.

The one in the photo above is chili powder before mixing.

Here's what I put in it.

Laurie's Chili Powder

6 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons dried oregano

4 teaspoons cumin powder

4 teaspoons garlic granules

3 teaspoons powdered chipotle peppers ( or cayenne peppers)

3 teaspoons onion powder

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

1) Put all the ingredients into a bowl and mix.

2) Find all the little bottles you have been saving for years...

3) Using a funnel ( I made one out of paper), pour the mixture into a jar. 

4) Make a cute label.

5) You could pair it with some interesting dried or canned beans  and my chili recipe.

      Easy homemade gift !!

Here's my pie spice combination, great in apple dessert, pumpkin pie, sweet loaves, cupcakes, cookies...

Ingredients

1/2 cup ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons ground ginger

2 tablespoons mace or nutmeg

4 teaspoons ground allspice

2 teaspoons ground cloves or cardamom

1) Same as above mix together, bottle, label and give !!

Pair the spice with a pie pumpkin or apples from your local farmer's market or some homemade brown sugar and a favorite cookie or cake recipe.

Or

You can add 4 tablespoons of sugar to 2 teaspoons of this mixture for a gourmet version of cinnamon toast topping. It's also great to sprinkle on top of pies, cookies, hot cereal, or stir into coffee or hot chocolate.

Next up my curries, jerk spice and ranch dressing !!